


Into the Further We Go

by Bunnie24



Category: Insidious (Movies)
Genre: Demons, Gen, Horror, Scary, insidious
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-07
Updated: 2018-06-09
Packaged: 2018-12-24 22:22:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12022263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bunnie24/pseuds/Bunnie24
Summary: Aphrodite Reiner didn't know her grandmother, Elise, that well before her death; however, now she has inherited everything, including Elise's former colleagues Specs and Tucker, who desperately need help saving a young woman from a familiar foe.





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Since it's pretty obvious it might be awhile before we get an actual sequel for Insidious 2, I'm humoring my imagination of what I think would happen next after the Lambert family.

The house was over run with moving boxes, Aphrodite Reiner was organizing her deseasead grandmothers belongings into three categories: Trash, Donate, and Keepsakes all the while beginning to move into the home that was left for her 'to do whatever' she desired.

Though, she hadn't had a relationship with her grandmother past the age of 10, Aphrodite, or Ari as she liked to be called, always felt a special bond with the woman who she remembered fondly, but her father always kept her away from because of her 'hobby' as he called it.

Ari thought to herself before placing the ashes of Elise Reiner above the fireplace of the living room, her finger gracing the engravings of her grandmothers' legacy  before hearing a struggle at the front door that took her attention away from her moment.

She rubber necked her head out of the living room as she saw two blurry figures at the front door, jiggling the door knob while arguing with each other.

_"Oh, hell no!"_ Ari thought as she stomped her way to the front door, unlocked it, and jerked it open to see two men on her front porch.

Ari furrowed her brow as she glared at the two men who stared at her confusingly "Can I help you?" she snarked.

"Uhhh..." the nerdy gentleman said before turning to his companion before looking back at Ari "...you are...?"

"Living here." Ari finished the sentence "And you are?"

The nerdy gentleman struggled with words for a moment, glancing at his friend once again as he tried to come up with some type of words "Athena, no--APHRODITE! You're Aphrodite. I mean...Ari." he said, snapping his fingers and pointing at her.

"I can't believe it's you. I--we--never thought we'd meet you." the nerdy one continued.

"How do you know my name?" she asked, raising an eyebrow as she slowly retrieved back into the house.

The bigger gentleman smirked as he looked down at his nerdy friend as he continued to fumble with another sentence "I, uh...my name Steven, 'Specs', and this is my friend, Tucker--we uh, we used to work with your mother--grandmother! Grandmother."

Ari just stared at them as 'Specs' corrected himself over and over again before Tucker cleared his throat "May we come in?"

She thought for a moment, her knuckles digging into her side before slowly opening the door wider to let them both in, Specs and Tucker slowly walked in and observed the home that they knew so well, but was vacant of the memories they had shared before Ari stood behind them as they looked.

"So, is there something I can help you with?" Ari asked, her hands behind her back as she watched the two men look back at her.

Specs and Tucker looked at each other, having a silent conversation before Tucker faced Ari and forced a smiled "We just...wanted to say goodbye." he spoke softly.

"Well, she's in the living room." she said, tightening her cardigan around her body.

The men were taken aback, alarmed at her phrasing as Ari pointed to the fireplace "Her ashes." she said, motioning for them to follow her as she walked into the living room.

Specs and Tucker looked around the room, seeing the bookshelves empty and the walls bare with a single item on the fireplace; Specs walked towards the urn and smiled as he read the engraving: Elise Reiner. 1944-2010. Beloved Wife, Mother, and Grandmother. Supernatural Extrodinare.

He couldn't help but chuckle, his smiling fading a little bit before turning around to Ari and Tucker, who were looking at photographs of Elise and her family.

"Have you, uh...have you packed up the basement yet?" Specs asked.

Ari looked at him, shaking her head softly as she put the picture frame down "No. I haven't."

"Can we take a look downstairs?" Tucker asked.

The young woman looked up at Tucker, nodding as she walked out of the living room, down the hall and opened a door that lead into a small closet with stairs leading into the basement, or 'Reading Room' as Specs and Tucker usually referred to it.

Tucker reached out and turned on the light that illuminated the stairs before turning to Specs and gestured him "After you."

Specs went down the stairs, following Tucker; Ari stood at the edge of the staircase and stopped, her toes curled against the edge of the first step as she felt the mental wall stop her from moving any further.

Tucker looked up at Ari and stopped "Are you coming?" he asked.

Ari struggled for a moment, hiding her hands in the pockets of her cardigan before shaking her head "I can't...umm...I--I'm too scared." she mumbled.

Tucker reached a hand out for her "Hey, it's okay." he assured her.

Ari sighed, one hand leaving its pocket and taking Tucker's as he guided her down into the room that was filled with books, artifacts, and gear that Elise and the boys used in their travels.

"So, were you just going to leave everything here?" Specs asked Ari.

Ari shook her head "No. Elise's friend, Carl, was going to stop by later and pack it all up for me." she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear "You guys are more than welcome to take anything you need...or want."

"You call your grandmother, Elise?" Tucker asked.

"Well...doesn't feel right to call her 'grandma'." Ari said "I mean, I didn't know her that well." she shrugged the comment away.

The room was still and quiet as the three of them just stood there for a moment, staring each other down before Ari finally cleared her throat "Okay, well, take your time with whatever. I'll be upstairs if you need me." she said before turning around and going back upstairs.

 

 

 

She got side tracked, looking at all the photo albums and piles of photos that were hidden in cabinets and taken off the bookshelves; Ari had to admit that Elise had lived a good life with lots of memories and love.

It comforted her to know that even after Jack's death and her son's rejection, Elise could smile and live life to the fullest, which made Ari hopeful for the future.

Ari flipped to the next picture and saw an old picture of her dad in a football uniform, smirking to herself when she heard a floorboard creak that distracted her; Tucker has knocked over a photo at that moment, picking it up and looking at it before turning to Ari.

"Can I have this?" Tucker asked, gesturing to the picture of him and Elise.

Ari nodded "Yeah, of course."

Tucker nodded, putting the picture frame delicately into his backpack while Specs caught up to him; Ari gave them a soft smile before going back to the picture, flipping it to the next one of her and her brother from when they were tiny children.

"Is that you?" Specs asked.

Ari yelped, gripping her chest as she turned around to see Tucker and Specs behind her and looking down at the picture, Specs and Tucker responded in kind with their light jumping and defensive gestures.

"Sorry! Sorry..." Specs said, grabbing the loveseat and pulling it behind Ari as she sat on the floor.

Ari watched Specs and Tucker sit, not liking their shadowing and closeness to her proximity "You guys don't have to make small talk with me...or anything. If you guys got what you came for, made your peace...whatever, you don't have to butter me up or console me." she told them.

Specs and Tucker looked at each other with another silent conversation before Specs turned back to Ari "Actually, we wanted to ask you something."

"Okay." Ari said cautiously.

Specs nodded "Yeah, since you're here, we figured we'd ask. Uhm...Elise, awhile ago, mentioned something in passing about you maybe having inherited her 'gift'."

"No." Ari said firmly, standing up from the floor "No, no, no, no...I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you both to leave." she pointed to the front door.

Specs and Tucker looked at her dumbfoundedly.

"Please leave! Get out!" Ari yelled, getting aggitated.

Specs nodded "Okay." he said, turning to Tucker who immediately stood up from his seat and headed towards the front door; Specs followed behind him while Ari practically chased them out, but before she could kick them, Specs turned around and stopped in front of Ari.

"Look, I'm going to leave, but...if you need anything, please call us." he said, grabbing into his pants pocket to grab a business card and handed it to Ari.

Ari glanced at the card before looking back up at Specs, still aggitated as he turned around and left, Ari closing the door behind him and locking the door before pressing her head against it as she got her breathing under control.

She turned to face the foyer, this was her family's legacy: crystal balls and tarot readings.

 


	2. The Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter got kinda mushy towards the end, I'm sorry. But the story has got to progress somehow, yeah?   
> Also--thank you to those who read and commented. You are the best.

Within a 24-hour period, Ari had managed to get the clutter under control with boxes full and pushed aside to make room for other boxes that needed filling; she was still bothered by what Specs and Tucker had implyed and it nagged at her constantly...even in her sleep she couldn't escape it.

With a soft knock at the door, Ari became distracted, pushing another box into the corner before walking to the front door and opened it to greet the older gentleman at the door, smiling softly as he stood in front of her.

"Hi, Carl." she said softly.

"Hello, Aphrodite." he greeted before walking into the house.

Ari noticed the bruises on his neck and the bandage on his forehead as he walked past her, she closed the door and watched him carefully "What happened to you?" she asked.

Carl turned back towards her "Sorry?"

"The bruises," she gestures to her own neck "What happened?"

"Oh." Carl chuckled, gently touching them before shaking his head "Nothing, just a little accident is all." he assured her.

Ari crossed her arms "An accident that left bruises on your neck and a bo-bo on your forehead?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

Carl smirked "It's from a case that I'm working on, my dear."

Ari lost what little smile she had on her face and her arms fell to her side, now she just felt bad for prying "Oh." she muttered.

"It's okay, Ari. Curiosity is the most powerful thing you can own." Carl said, playfully winking at her before walking down the hallway towards the basement; Ari followed behind, turning on the lights so Carl could see.

"I'll bring some boxes down...and some tape." Ari offered.

Carl nodded "Absolutely." he said before climbing down the stairs.

Ari hurried upstairs, trying to escape the eerie feeling that accompanied the room as she walked into the living room and grabbed several folded boxes and her roll of tape before making her way back down to the basement where she found Carl examining all of Elise's belongings.

"You can take them, y'know, if you want." Ari offered.

Carl smiled as he looked at her "I don't need any of these things."

Ari nodded softly, looking around the room again before putting together a box and taped the bottom and pushed it towards the middle of the room; she had every intention of leaving it all to Carl, but a book caught her eye and she grabbed it from the bookshelf.

_Biblical Demonology: A Study of the Spiritual Forces Behind the Present World Unrest_

She thumbed through the book as she leaned against the table the bookcase was resting on while Carl began to fill the box, almost playing a game of Tetris as he rested everything neatly inside.

"I heard the boys stopped by yesterday." Carl remarked.

Ari looked up at Carl for a second before thumbing through the book again "Oh, you mean Thing 1 and Thing 2?"

Carl chuckled "Yes, I guess they can be a handful sometimes."

Ari couldn't help but roll her eyes as she read the page, shaking her head to herself at Carl's choice of words for Specs and Tucker.

"I'm sorry they upset you." Carl continued.

Ari looked up again at Carl "Did...did you send them?" she asked.

"Oh, heavens, no!" Carl said, stopping his packing for a moment "They told me what happened, and I know that that was inappropriate, but I guess desperate times call for desperate measures for them."

Ari closed the book and held it against her chest "Desperate measures? What, are they trying to replace Elise or something?"

Carl shook his head as he started to pack again "No, they're just out of their element."

Ari sighed, turning around to begin pulling all the books off the shelf, but she just couldn't stop herself as she rolled her eyes "So, what is it exactly are they doing?" she asked.

"Fighting a demon." Carl said nonchalantly.

Her eyes grew big for a moment, not really sure what to say next as Carl looked up at her and smiled "Are you alright?"

Ari fumbled with her words for a moment, trying to form a sentence before she just gave up and went silent, turning to face Carl as she leaned against the table and crossed her arms.

They just watched each other for a moment, Ari not sure what to do next as she pushed herself away from the table "Excuse me." she said before climbing back up the stairs and down the hall towards the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea.

She thought to herself while she made it, doctoring it to her liking before sitting at the breakfast nook in the corner and contemplated life as she knew it; she thought her days existential crisis' and self doubt were behind her, but the 20-something couldn't stop herself from questioning herself as she waited for her tea to cool down for a moment.

It was silent in the house, though Ari had never thought about the silence before when she heard the fridge starting to make a humming noise, it was almost an assuring thing when she then heard footsteps enter the kitchen.

"I didn't mean to upset you." Carl said.

Ari looked up from her tea "You didn't." she muttered.

Carl nodded, taking a seat across from Ari who tapped at her mug as she watched him, not quite sure what to say to him before mentally slapping herself.

"Oh--would you like some tea?" she offered.

Carl smiled "Oh, no. I'm fine. Thank you though."  
Ari just let a smile out before taking a sip of her tea "So, this demon they're fighting, is it haunting a house?"

"No, it's  haunting a young woman."

"Like...posesstion?" Ari asked.

"No, not quite. Not yet, anyway." Carl told her.

She nodded slowly again, playing with her mug again "How do you stop a demon from posessing someone?" she asked.

Carl thought for a moment, pushing his glasses up the brim of his nose "Well, depends. You could fight them, banish them, sacrifice yourself..." he trailed off for a second "Some people are good at it, some people aren't. Your grandmother was great at it."

Ari sighed, looking down at her lap for a moment before clearing her throat "Can I tell you something?" she asked softly.

"Absolutely." Carl said.

Ari nodded, opening her mouth to say something but stopped herself as she leaned closer to Carl.

"I have it." Ari said with a shaky voice "Her gift, I have it."

Carl didn't say anything, he just stared at the young woman in front of him as she sat back in her chair and sighed "I've never said that out loud before." she admitted.

The kitchen was silent as Carl tried to find something to say, he had so many questions and wasn't sure where to begin and what was okay to ask...he wished Elise was there.

"I think that's why my dad quit talking to her," she said "I don't remember much before the age of 10, just fragments of her and me...laughing and happy." she bit her lower lip as she looked down at her lap.

Carl scooted closer to Ari and rested his hand on hers "She loved you very much." he told her "...even after Matt--your father told her to stay away, she loved you and your brother so much." he said.

Ari took his hand, smiling slightly as she tried to fight tears that were forming in her eyes "I--I don't know what to do. I started seeing things when I was 15, but I didn't say anything cause I knew my dad would freak out. So I just pretended that I couldn't hear or see anything." she said softly.

"It's okay." Carl comforted her, stroking her hair.

She wiped away the falling tears, sniffling slightly as she tried to calm herself down "I just wish I'd reached out. Cause now I have to figure this out by myself."

"No, you don't." Carl said "Firstly, you're not alone. I'm here; and secondly, you don't have to do anything you don't want to, Aphrodite. Just because you have the ability, doesn't mean you have to utilize it."

Ari looked away, pondering his words before sighing "Then it would just be a curse." she muttered.

Carl smiled softly "I can help you forget, if you want." he offered.

A smile cracked from Ari, she took her hands back and played with her mug handle before shaking her head "No, that's okay." she said.

"You know what? I think I'm actually going to read some of those books downstairs." she told Carl.

Carl nodded "Okay."

He watched as Ari stood up, taking her mug of tea and walked out of the kitchen and towards the hallway; he sat there alone for a moment before turning back to the table and reached into his sweater pocket to pull out a small leather bag that contained his dice. Carl poured them out into his hand and cupped them in both hands, he sighed heavily and closed his eyes.

"Elise, if you're there...what do I do?" he asked the air softly before dropping the dice onto the table.

Carl looked closely at the dice, trying to find an answer when he saw it on the outer edge of the pile: _guide her_.

He looked up and around the room, nodding softly with a faint smile on his face "Guide her." he muttered to himself.

"Of course, I will guide her to the best of my ability."

 


	3. The Reading Room

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would just like to apologize for the delay. Life happened, and it kinda sucked. But now I'm sorta back, and pumped about Insidious 4...so please enjoy this chapter, and hopefully I'll have a new one soon.

 

            Carl began to get bombarded by calls from Specs and Tucker while he and Ari packed up the reading room, forcing him to excuse himself to aid their calls; Ari walked him to the door as they said their goodbyes, before closing and locking the door.

            She sighed, walking back down the hall to close the door to the reading room and then pivoted to the kitchen to brew a pot of tea.

            Ari put the kettle on the stove and sat at the table, biting her nails that were practically at the nub as she continued to pick, bite, and peel without the will to stop herself.

            She felt a chill go down her spine and a pair of eyes on her as she looked behind her to just see the window that showed the large Oak tree being blown around in the backyard.

            The kettle began to scream, breaking Ari's gazing as she walked back into the kitchen to pull it off the burner and prepare her tea before relaxing in the living room, an attempt to unwind for the evening.

            As she walked away from the stove, she glanced at the fridge before walking out of the kitchen; but she stopped in her tracks when she thought she saw something on the fridge.

            Ari walked backwards into the kitchen and looked back at the fridge, her mouth slightly agape as she read the message: STOP BITING.

            The house went silent, Ari looked around in a panic as she grasped tightly to her cup of tea, not sure what to do next as she took a deep breath in.

            "Hello?" Ari called out.

            The floor boards began to creak, Ari stomped out of the kitchen and looked around "I don't know _who_ you are, but I'll find you, and when I do, I'll..." she trailed off, her threat meaningless as she then heard a door open down the hallway.

            She turned slowly, looking over her shoulder do see the laundry room door wide open, and the reading room door unlock and open slowly.

            "Oh my god..." Ari muttered to herself, swallowing hard as she slowly inched her way towards the room when she realized that she was standing at the edge of the stairs, looking down into the darkness of the reading room.

            " _You know how this works...we've seen enough scary movies to know to not go down into the basement. Especially after you watched the door open by itself._ " she told herself " _Just go upstairs, get into bed, and forget this ever happened._ " she instructed herself as she finally took a step back to close the door, lock it, and make sure it was locked before she walked away.

           

 

            She lied in bed, staring up at the ceiling at the shadow of the trees being blown around; she couldn't stop herself from thinking about what had happened earlier and how every time she thought about it, it made the hairs on her arms stick straight up.

            Ari looked over at the alarm clock on her bed: 2:38 A.M.

            She huffed, looking back up at the ceiling again when she honestly couldn't take it anymore; Ari threw the sheets back, grabbed the cardigan that was draped on the bed post, and stomped her way downstairs and into the laundry room where she unlocked the door to the reading room, turned on the light, and went down the stairs.

            "This is stupid, this is so stupid!" Ari mumbled to herself while walking through the beaded wall, looking around the room before taking a seat at the table that was mounted with books and the crystal ball that Ari wasn't sure what to do with.

            She sighed, pushing a pile of books away before placing her hands flat on the table top and began focusing.

            "Come out, come out, wherever you are." she taunted, closing her eyes as she focused on the energy she was trying to conjure.

            The room was silent, Ari opened one eye to see that nothing was happening before she opened the other eye and huffed, looking around the room in boredom as she stood up from her chair and turned to leave when she heard something drop onto the floor.

            Ari turned around to find a sketch book on the ground that was open to a drawing that caught her eye.

            She approached the book, getting on her knees to examine the drawing of the red faced, demon looking creature that was hiding up against a wall; she furrowed her brow before looking up and around the room.

            "Elise?" Ari asked the silence.

            There wasn't a single noise to be heard when Ari nodded to herself and stood up, closing the sketch book and placed it on the table.

            Ari turned to leave, almost to the stairs when she heard another noise behind her; she turned around to see the sketch book on the floor again--same drawing as before.

            She huffed, walking back over and picked it up to place it on the table, only the table pulled away from her and crashed into the back wall; Ari screamed as she held the sketch book against her face.

            There was the sound of glass breaking, things dropping onto the floor, and something spinning around before finally falling to the ground.

            Ari pulled the book away from her face, seeing the mess that was made with the books that were once on the table scattered around the floor, and a mannequin with a gas mask on laying against the table.

            She couldn't breathe, this sudden panic spread through her body like a wildfire as she backed away slowly, holding the book against her chest before hitting the bottom stair; she didn't waste any time climbing up the stairs and slamming the door behind her.

            In fact, Ari couldn't stop as she ran down the hallway, into the foyer, unlocked the door, and bolted out into the front yard before tripping on a garden gnome and landing with a thud and a yelp while dropping the book a few feet away from her.

            Ari finally caught her breathe as she pulled herself towards the book with the grass and grasped it before picking herself up and turned to face the house.

            It was like a symphony, lights throughout the house turning on and off, Ari could see curtains open and close, or even dance a little when it suddenly all stopped.

            She waited, as if something was going to come up behind her and grab her when she saw the neighbors porch light turn on and a couple in robes walking out to see what was going on.

            "Are you alright?" the gentleman asked from across the lawn.

            Ari couldn't speak, she glanced back at the house, then back at the couple, her hand subconsciously reached into her cardigan pocket to pull out a business card...Specs and Tuckers' business card.

            She looked down at the card for a moment, before taking a deep breath and looked back up at the couple.

            "Can I use your phone?" she asked softly.

           


	4. The Dream

_She was at her family's lake house, standing on the edge of the pier as she looked out to the blue water, luscious green trees, and the mountains off into the distance; this was perfect._

_The air was fresh, and it wasn't too warm outside as she took a deep breath in and smiled to herself._

_"Aphrodite!" she heard someone call behind her, Ari turned to see someone approaching her on the pier._

_"Elise?" she asked, squinting her eyes to make sure it was really her when Elise finally reached Ari._

_Ari smiled as she looked at the woman in front of her "What are you doing here?" she asked._

_"Oh, I was just stopping by to say 'hi'." Elise said as she turned out to view "It's so lovely out here. So quaint! Bet you enjoy swimming here, huh?" she asked with a chuckle._

_Ari nodded as she looked out again "Yeah. I love swimming out here. The water's cold though--but I don't mind so much." she said before turning back to Elise._

_"It'd be cool if you could come visit one day." Ari said._

_Elise smiled "I don't know, your father was always such a stick in the mud when it came to me being around you kids."_

_Ari hummed, shaking her head to herself "Nevermind, dad. He'll get over it." she remarked before she looked over back at the house to see that the scenery had changed; the house was still there, but the trees and nature were gone--just a dim blue glow coming from the back porch light. She turned her head back towards the lake to find it missing completely; she looked down to see the pier deck...and Elise still standing in front of her._

_"It's alright," Elise assured her, Ari assumed the look of panic was stuck on her face while Elise smiled at her "It's just us here...for the moment. But you should probably get back soon, they're waiting for you!"_

_"Who are?" Ari asked._

_Elise smiled "The boys, silly!"_

_The older woman turned her body to Ari, taking her hand gently "I always knew you'd grow up to be strong, smart, and brave...so trust your instincts when the opportunity presents itself."_

_"What kind of opportunity?" Ari asked, raising her eyebrows._

_Elise thought for a moment, shrugging her shoulders slightly "Lets call it an adventure." she said._

_Ari couldn't help but laugh "Okay."_

_"Also...I just want you to know, that I love you very much. and I'll always be with you." Elise assured her._

_Ari couldn't find the words, she just smiled at Elise._

_"Oh, and...I'm sorry."_

_"Sorry? Sorry for wha---"_

_Elise slapped her hard on the face, it stung her cheek when she realized that she had woken up._

She shot up from her laying position, gasping for air when she saw Specs and Tucker in front of her, which alarmed her as she punched Specs square in the face as a knee jerk reaction.

Ari realized what she had done when she gasped "OH, god--Specs, I'm so sorry!" she reached towards Specs who fell flat onto the floor while Tucker just laughed.

She glared at Tucker, giving him a disapproving look before checking on Specs "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Specs said, adjusting his glasses only to realize that they broke in half.

Ari frowned "I'll...I'll pay for those." she muttered softly.

Specs shook his head "It's alright. I've got three other pairs at home, you'd be surprised how often I break my glasses."

They stood up, Ari turning to see her neighbors looking at them in their robes; she smiled at them awkwardly before picking up the sketch book she had dropped.

"Thank you so much for letting  me stay here tonight." Ari said.

The neighbors nodded "You're welcome."

 

 

Specs and Tucker examined the house, using their 'high tech' gear while going through every inch of the house while Ari stood by the front door.

"I don't see anything, Ari." Tucker said, walking out of the kitchen eating a Twinkie.

Ari raised her eyebrows at Tucker when Specs slowly made his way down the steps "Yeah, I can't find anything either."

She huffed "Did you guys check the Reading Room?" she asked, slightly annoyed.

Specs and Tucker glanced at each other "No." they said in unison.

"Why not??" she asked.

"Listen, Buttercup--" Tucker started.

"Do _not_ call me that again, I will stab you!" Ari threatened.

The room went silent while Ari took a deep breath to compose herself  "That's where it happened. Okay--I told you, I went into the Reading Room and the sketchbook kept dropping off the table, and then the table threw itself into the wall." she reminded them.

Specs nodded "Okay, okay...we'll check it out." he said before walking down the hallway, motioning Tucker to come with him.

Ari slowly inched her way towards the laundry room and stopped at the edge of the Reading Room door once again, hearing Specs and Tucker talk to each other; she waited for something: a noise, a girly scream, or a ghost to pop up...but nothing, nothing except for Specs and Tucker coming back up the stairs.

"Well?" Ari asked.

Specs sighed, adjusting his taped together glasses "I mean, something happened down there for sure, but there's nothing down there."

Ari sighed, leaning her head against the door frame as she thought for a moment.

"You think I'm crazy." she said.

Specs and Tucker shook their head "No!" Specs said, gently pushing Ari away from the door so Tucker could close it.

"You're not crazy. The supernatural is a complicated thing, I mean...we sort of only understand The Further." Specs continued.

Ari stared at him "The Further?"

"Yeah," Tucker said, somehow with another Twinkie in his hand "It's where all the dark and disturbed spirits and demons go." he explained.

Ari thought back to her dream, with Elise: _...trust your instincts when the opportunity presents itself._

"Do you know how to get there?" she asked.

Tucker nodded.

Ari smirked to herself slightly "Take me there."

Specs and Tucker turned to each other "Uhm..." Specs couldn't make a complete sentence before Tucker muffled a chuckle.

"We can't just 'take you there'...I mean, we can get you there, but you've got to trust us." Tucker remarked.

Ari rolled her eyes "Fine! I trust you! Just get me to The Further!" she snapped before walking past the both of them.

"O-kay..." Tucker muttered, shoving the rest of the Twinkie into his mouth.


	5. The Further

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would just like to apologize. I can't believe it's been 6 months since my last chapter--a lot has happened in my life but I'm hoping that now I have stability back, I can update more frequently. As always, thank you for your kudos and comments! 
> 
> XOXO  
> Bunnie

_Tick tock._

"Listen to the sound of my voice..." Tucker said, his deep voice soothing Ari as she closed her eyes.

 

_Tick tock._

Ari let a heavy breath out, firmly planting her hands on her thighs as she continued to listen to Tucker and his instructions.

 

"Listen as my voice begins to sound further and further away, and when I snap my fingers, you will be transcended from this world to The Further." Tucker said.

 

_Tick tock._

"3...2...1" Tucker snapped his fingers and all went quiet, except for the sound of the Metronomes.

 

Ari huffed, waiting for something to happen when she opened one eye to see the living room empty with a blue glow the only light source.

 

She swallowed hard, standing up from her seat and looked around the room before turning around to see herself still sitting in the chair: hands on her thighs while sinking deep into the couch.

 

"Shit." she muttered to herself, once again looking around the room and playing with the objects when she turns on one of the lamps and off in the distance she could hear girlish screaming.

 

She smirked to herself, shaking her head "Suckers."

 

"Ari," she heard in an echo, she turned around to see Elise with a lantern smiling at her.

 

Ari lost her breathe for a second "Is it really you?" she asked.

 

Elise smiled "Yes, it's really me! Now c'mon, we gotta go see Allison!" she said, reaching out for Ari's hand as they both walked through the front down and out into the Abyss of The Further.

 

The two women were silent as Elise guided them through the fog, Ari would occasionally glance over at her grandmother wanting to say something, but couldn't find any words before turning back and ahead.

 

"Are the boys treating you alright?" Elise asked.

 

Ari hummed as she looked over at Elise "Specs and Tucker?" she reiterated.

 

"Oh! Uh, yeah...they're a bit much though." Ari said.

 

Elise chuckled "Yes, they've always been like that. But they're harmless, I swear...just don't let Tucker play with the appliances." she responded.

 

Ari couldn't help but chuckle, looking out to the small house that they were approaching; Elise linked their arms as they walked up the steps and the front door opened on its own, giving entry to the two of them.

 

As they walked into the house, Ari unlinked her arm from Elise's as she looked around, seeing a young woman sitting in a chair looking out a window; she approached her slowly, reaching the girl before turning back to Elise.

 

"What's wrong with her?" she asked.

 

"She's lost."

 

"Lost?" Ari asked "What do you mean 'lost'?"

 

Elise smiled, resting a hand of Ari's back as she looked at the young woman in the chair "Allison's spirit is separated from her body. Something or someone is holding her back from returning to it." she explained.

 

Ari sighed "So...is this who Carl is trying to help?"

 

Elise nodded "He needs your help. And I know, you don't know or like this sort of thing...but you have a gift, Aphrodite! You just gotta know how to use it." she smiled.

 

Ari smiled back, nodding to Elise when she heard the sound of crackling as she slowly looked out into the next room that was pitch black.

 

Elise lost her smile as she looked as well, she swallowed hard "Oh god...he's here." she whispered.

 

"Who's here?" Ari asked.

 

"Him."

 

Ari glanced at Elise who had a look of fear stuck on her face, she glanced back out into the darkness as the sound of knocking on the floor got closer to them...finally being able to see a figure within the darkness.

 

"Leave us alone!" Elise yelled,

 

Ari grabbed tightly to Elise's hand as the demon with the face of fire showed himself, his tongue sticking out and his hooves bigger than Ari's head, she noticed his claws as he extended them as if ready to pounce.

 

The demon began to hiss at them, Elise grabbed a hold of Ari in a panic "You need to go, now!"

 

It was too late, it began to lunge toward them while the two women panicked; though, Ari's Fight or Flight instincts kicked in as she screamed and pushed back at the demon, forcing him to fly across the room and hit the bookshelf.

 

Ari was shocked, looking at her hands for a second while Elise grabbed her arm and began to run out of the house, now facing the darkness once again as Ari followed Elise's lead as she tried to get back to their house.

 

They could hear the hissing of the demon, Ari felt a chill down her spine as she picked up the pace on her run when she could see her house coming out from hiding in the fog.

 

Elise had so much urgency to get Ari into the house as she pushed the door open and pulled Ari inside.

 

"Go! Go to your body! Now!" Elise instructed.

 

Ari ran into the living room, seeing her body still sitting on the chair when she lunged herself at it.

 

She gasped as she opened her eyes, seeing Specs and Tucker in the room as she placed a hand against her chest and tried to stabilize her breathing.

 

"What happened?" Specs asked.

 

"What did you see?" Tucker asked her.

 

Now that she had a minute, she thought about the face, the demon she had just encountered and realized that it looked very familiar to her.

 

Ari jumped off the couch and stormed into the kitchen to find the sketchbook, frantically opening it up and flipping the pages until she found the right one; Tucker and Specs followed her in as they watched her flip paged when she stopped at one.

 

The demon. It was in the sketchbook, she tapped at the picture before she grabbed the book and turned to show the boys behind her.

 

"This! This is what's haunting Allison!" Ari said, her eyes growing big and her breathing becoming slightly erratic.

 

Spec huffed "Man, not that guy again!" he said, turning away.

 

"Again?" Ari asked "Again? You mean you've dealt with this thing before!?"

 

Tucker nodded "It was Elise's last case." he told her.

 

"It took a young boy hostage for 3 months before we got him back. That _thing_ threw me across the room!" Specs said, pointing at the drawing.

 

Ari thought for a moment "We need to get to Allison right now!" she said, dropping the sketchbook and stomping to the front door.

 

Specs and Tucker followed behind, frantically trying to stop her when she opened the door just as the doorbell was ringing and two young blondes stood in front of Ari.

 

The 3 girls stared each other down, not saying anything before Ari huffed "Look, I don't care of our Lord and Savior, I don't want to buy anything, and the woman who used to do readings here is dead. So...please!" she said, trying to get past them.

 

"Wait, wait! Are you...Aphrodite Rainier?" The oldest of the two girls asked.

 

Ari was flabbergasted as she turned to Specs and Tucker "How the hell do people keep knowing my name!?" she asked them.

 

The younger of the two girls gasped gleefully "APHRODITE! We found you!" she said, throwing herself at Ari as she hugged her.

 

"Uhh...do I know you?" Ari asked, not hugging the girl back.

 

Tucker tilted his head as he looked at the young girl hugging Ari "Melissa?" he asked.

 

She looked up at Tucker "You cut your hair!" she said, pulling away from Ari and hugged Tucker, who couldn't help but chuckle as he hugged her back.

 

Specs walked up to the other girl and smiled "Hey, Imogen. How's it going?" he asked.

 

Ari looked at Specs "Who are these girls?" she asked.

 

"We're your cousins!" Melissa said, pulling away from Tucker.

 

"Well, technically, _Second_ Cousins." Imogen corrected.

 

Ari was shocked, standing in place for a second; the past 30 minutes had been the most shocking thing of her life and her brain nor body could honest comprehend what was going on as she felt dizzy immediately collapsed onto the floor.

 

"Oh my god!" Imogen gasped, walking into the house.

 

"Move aside, I've got her." Tucker said, picking her up and walking into the living room to place her on the couch.

 

Melissa, Imogen, and Specs watched as Tucker carefully placed her; Specs turned to the girls "It's been a long day..." he explained.

 


End file.
